Bylaws
October, 2010
Article I
Name
1. The Name of the Organization shall be Sun
River Rangers Shooting Society, also known as SRRSS, a Montana Corporation.
Article II
Objectives
1. To encourage organized Cowboy Action shooting activities for club members with a view towards a better knowledge of the rules of safe gun handling and proper care of firearms, as well as improved marksmanship.
2. To establish a public development of the essentials of good sportsmanship, honesty, law observance, and self-reliance.
3. To actively support every law abiding citizen’s constitutional right to keep and bear firearms.
4. To encourage the practice of good shooting sportsmanship and voluntary compliance with local, state and federal laws.
5. To promote and communicate the living history of the West, of early American history including the Post Civil War era, and Cowboy history in general.
6. To encourage every club member to become a member of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS).
7. To encourage every club member to become a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Article III
Membership
1. Any citizen of
the United States or Canada may become a member of this Society upon approval
of the Board of Directors provided they subscribe to the NRA Pledge (below),
and to the objectives of SRRSS as stated under Article II, and upon payment of the usual membership dues and
match fees.
2. There shall be three classes of memberships – regular, lifetime and honorary:
A. Regular membership: Regular members comprise four different groups as follows:
- Single membership: Individuals 18 years of age or older who pay a yearly membership fee.
- Senior membership: Individuals 60 years of age or older who pay a yearly membership fee.
- Family membership: Direct members of a family, one child age 13 to 17 years and two adults or one adult and two children age 13 to 17, who pay a yearly membership fee as a family.
- Junior membership: Those individuals 13 through 17 years of age who pay a yearly membership fee either as individuals or as part of a family membership fee. Participation of Junior members must be under the supervision of adult members.
B. Lifetime Membership: Lifetime members comprise three different groups:
- Single Lifetime membership: Individuals 18 years of age or older who pay a “lifetime” membership fee.
- Senior Lifetime membership: Individuals 60 years of age or older who pay a “lifetime” membership fee.
- Family Lifetime Membership: A family group as outlined under Regular Family membership (section A) who pays a “lifetime” membership fee.
C. Honorary Membership: Those individuals whom the Society from time to time may wish to honor for some special service or contribution to the shooting sport.
I CERTIFY that I am a citizen of good repute of the United States of American (or Canada); that I am not a member of any organization or group having as its purpose or one of its purposes the overthrow by force and violence of the Government of the United States or any other political subdivisions; that I have never been convicted of a crime of violence, and that, if admitted to membership, I will fulfill the obligations of good sportsmanship and good citizenship.
Article IV
Rights and
Responsibilities
1. All members age 18 and older shall have the right and responsibility to vote.
2. This right and responsibility to vote applies to election of officers and to all issues determined to be necessary to be brought to a membership vote.
3. Family memberships shall be allowed 2 votes on any Society
issue. Voters must be 18 years of age.
Article V
Suspension
and/or Expulsion
1. Club Membership:
A. Any member may be suspended or expelled by the unanimous vote of the Board of Directors. Any member in good standing may refer charges against another member to the Board of Directors. Such charges shall be in writing, clearly stating the facts, accompanied by all affidavits or exhibits, which are to be used in their support. Such charges shall be filed with the Secretary/Treasurer, who will immediately notify the President. The President will present the charges at the next regular meeting of the Board of Directors.
The accused may have representation at such meeting. A unanimous vote of the Board of Directors shall be required for expulsion.
B. The accused may file an appeal for a hearing by the general membership of the Society within thirty (30) days of the Board of Directors’ decision. A written appeal shall be filed with the Secretary/Treasurer, who will, within forty-eight (48) hours, notify the President. The President will present the appeal at the next regular Society meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members in good standing shall be required to reverse the decision of suspension or expulsion.
The accused may have representation at the Society meeting.
2. Monthly Matches:
A. There will be a “Zero Tolerance Policy” concerning ANY abuse of Range Officers, verbal or otherwise. In that event, the offending individual will be required to leave the shooting complex property immediately. Said individual will not be allowed to compete again until he/she gains Board of Directors’ approval to do so.
B. Anyone found to be “cheating” or not competing in the “spirit of the game” shall be warned once and repeat offenders will be asked to leave the shooting complex property immediately. The individual must then go before the Board of Directors and gain approval before being allowed to compete again.
Article VI
Dues and
Assessments
1. Annual regular membership dues shall be on a fiscal basis beginning on January 1st of each year and shall be established by the Board of Directors.
Directors.
3. Honorary memberships: no dues shall apply.
4. A member of this
Society whose dues are in arrears for 30 days shall not be eligible to vote or enjoy
any of the privileges of this Society.
5. A member of this Society whose dues are in arrears for 6 months shall be dropped from the rolls.
Article VII
Officers
1. To be an officer of SRRSS, the individual must be at least 21 years or
age. All officers must be members of SASS during their tenure as an officer.
2. SRRSS officers shall include President, Vice-President,
Secretary, Treasurer, Range Master, Member-at-Large, and Sgt-at-Arms. If
necessary, the positions of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined as
Secretary/Treasurer as the Board of Directors recommends. The officers acting
together shall constitute the Board of Directors.
3. The Board of Directors shall have general supervision, control and management of all activities of the Society. Any decision of the Board of Directors may be reversed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members in good standing.
4. The resignation of any officer shall be submitted to the President or Vice-President in writing and may be accepted by a majority vote of the Board of Directors members.
5. A vacancy in the Board of Directors shall be filled by Presidential appointment, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. The appointee shall serve for the unexpired term of the vacancy. However, if more than two vacancies exist, new officers shall be elected by mailed ballots to fill the vacancies for the remainder of the unexpired term. Should the offices of the President and Vice-President become vacant simultaneously, the remainder of the Board of Directors may select from its members in good standing a President Pro Tem to preside over the meeting of this Society in order to elect a new President and Vice-President.
Election and Terms
1. Election of Officers: The President shall appoint a three-member nominating committee in July of each year. The Nominating Committee shall submit a slate of nominees for the positions being elected that year at a general membership meeting after the shoot on the first Sunday of August at which time nominations will also be accepted from the floor. Ballots will be mailed to all members in good standing in early September. The sealed ballots will be opened and counted and the results of the election will be announced at a meeting after the shoot on the first Sunday of October. The newly-elected officers will begin their term on November 1.
2. All officers shall be elected to serve for a period of two (2) years.
A. The election for President, Range Master, Treasurer and
Member-at-Large, shall be held in even numbered years.
B. The election for
Vice-President, Secretary, and Sgt-at-Arms shall be elected in odd numbered
years.
3. Officers shall be elected by a majority of the votes
cast by Society members in good standing.
The Board of Directors
1. President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and of the Board of Directors. The President shall be a member Ex-officio of all regular and special committees, and shall perform all other duties as usually pertain to the office. The President shall have the power to appoint interim Board of Director members.
2. Vice-President: The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in the President’s absence or at the President’s request. The Vice-President shall also perform other duties as requested by the President.
3. Secretary: The secretary shall conduct all official correspondence pertaining to the proper preparation and forwarding of all required reports. The Secretary shall notify all members of regular and special meetings, and shall keep true records of all meetings of the Board of Directors and of this Society, and have custody of the records and papers of the society. The Secretary shall also perform other duties as requested by the President.
4. Treasurer: The treasurer shall have charge of all funds of the Society and place same in such banks as may be approved by the Board of Directors. Such money shall only be withdrawn by checks co-signed by two authorized members of the Board of Directors. Authorized members shall be the Treasurer and two other Board members who are not family members of the Treasurer. The treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all financial transactions and render a detailed report at any meeting of the Society when requested. The treasurer shall submit a complete summary, which shall constitute the annual report, of all expenditures and income at the October meeting of the Society. The Treasurer shall also perform other duties as requested by the President.
5. Range Master: The Range Master shall have charge of the ranges of the Society, arrangement and control of competitions and range activities, including safety and arms instructions, with authority to appoint assistants from the members of the Society. The Range Master shall enforce range safety during Society activities. The assistants appointed by the Range Master shall be Range Officers (RO’s) and shall serve for the period of 1 shoot. The Range Master shall also perform other duties as requested by the President.
6. Member-at-Large: The Member-at-Large shall perform duties as requested by the President.
7. Sgt-at-Arms: The Sgt-at-Arms is responsible for maintaining order as necessary at all meetings and events. He shall use Robert’s Rules of Order to govern the meeting. He shall also help maintain range security and assist the Range Master when needed. The Sgt-at-Arms shall also perform other duties as requested by the President.
8. It shall be the duty of the officers to attend all regular, Board of Directors and special meetings of the Society.
Article VIII
Removal of an Officer
1. An officer who is unable or unwilling to perform the duties of the office to which elected shall notify the President for replacement.
2. Any officer who is unwilling to perform the duties of the office to which elected shall be removed from office. In the event of non-performance by an officer of the Board of Directors, recommendation for removal from office of the non-performing officer, upon unanimous vote of the balance of the Board of Directors, shall be submitted to the membership by mailed ballot. A majority of the votes cast by the members in good standing shall be required to remove the officer.
Article IX
Meetings
1. Meetings: The regular meetings of the Society shall be held after regularly scheduled shoots the first Sunday of August to determine the ballot for the annual election and the first Sunday of October as an Annual Meeting of the membership. Fifty-one (51) percent of members in good standing shall constitute a quorum. The meeting shall be open to all club members in good standing. All business matters that affect this Society shall be open for discussion. The Board of Directors may make exceptions to the scheduled membership meeting provided a 10-day notice is given to all members.
2. Board of Directors Meetings: Board of Directors meetings shall be held at such time and location as designated by the Board of Directors.
3. Any member in good standing may request, in writing, a special meeting to be held after a First Sunday shoot of the regular season provided they give a specific reason for the meeting and the business they wish to discuss at said meeting. This request must be made at least six weeks before the meeting date requested so as to give time to notify the members of the Society of the meeting.
Article X
Finance
1. The capital of this Society shall consist of such property as acquired including any real property, by leasehold, or fee title, which it may acquire and hold in accordance by law, such money as may be paid into the treasury of the Society by the members thereof as dues and fees, or received by the Society from other sources.
2. The highest amount of indebtedness of liability, direct or contingent, to which the Society may, at any time subject itself, shall be subject to the limitations of law and approval of the Corporate Commission of Montana, and shall not exceed eighty (80) percent of the assets. The asset value of the real estate and improvements shall be appraised value of the property, equipment, targets and structures.
3. No obligations and/or encumbrances against the real
property of the Society may be made without the approval of two-thirds (2/3) of
the current members in good standing.
Article XI
Amendments
1. The By-Laws may be recommended for alteration, amendment, or repeal, by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. Such recommendations shall then be presented to the members in good standing by a written ballot; a majority of the votes cast by the members shall constitute acceptance or rejection of such recommendations.
2. Any proposed amendments to these By-Laws may be suggested by any member of the Society in good standing to any Board of Directors member or at a regular business meeting.
3. Interpretation of these by-laws may be recorded by a Policy statement.
4. Policy statements may be executed by the Board of
Directors.
5. All policy statements shall be recorded and shall be
considered as part of the by-laws of this organization. The Board of Directors may rescind any policy statements.
6. Interpretation of the by-laws shall be the responsibility
of the Board of Directors.
Article XII
Governing
Rules & Restrictions
1. All meetings and Board of Directors meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
2. All stages of all events shall be conducted according to the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) rules, unless specifically stated otherwise in the written stage procedures.
3. Activities of the Society shall be restricted to areas designated for the specific purpose of the Society. Insurance restrictions prohibit members from using the “Sun River Rangers Shooting Society” name while participating in off site re-enactments and other such events where blanks, live rounds or any other detonations occur.
4. The Society shall not be used for the firing or detonation of such weapons as described in Title II, Machine Guns Destructive Devices, and certain other firearms; Subchapter B, Section 5845. Definitions of Public Law 90-816, known as the Gun Control Act of 1998, Paragraph (f) Destructive Devices: or any other weapon or device that violates the spirit of the Sun River Rangers Shooting Society (SRRSS). The above restrictions shall not be construed to pertain to those weapons described in Paragraph (g) Antique Firearms.
5. The above Paragraph shall not prevent the Board of Directors from granting permission for the demonstration of such weapons when deemed beneficial to the Society membership as a whole.
6. No shooting or gun handling shall be permitted during any meeting of the Society.
7. It shall be the duty of all members to acquaint themselves with the By-Laws and Rules of the Society.
8. Because safety and public image are of paramount importance to the Society, any violation of these restrictions shall be sufficient cause to initiate expulsion or suspension proceedings as outlined in Article V of the Sun River Rangers Shooting Society (SRRSS) by-laws.
Article XIII
Dissolution
1. Upon dissolution of this Society, any monies remaining in the Society’s treasury shall be donated to a non-profit organization or charity after expenses of this Society are satisfied, as decided upon by the vote of a majority of the members in good standing.
SIGNATURE PAGE
We, the undersigned Directors of the corporation known as the Sun River Rangers Shooting Society (SRRSS), a non-profit Corporation, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing By-Laws were duly adopted as the By-Laws of said Corporation on the ___3rd_______day of ___October___________, 2010___, and that the same do now constitute the By-Laws of said Corporation.
___________________________________ ________________________________
President - David Farris (Jeb Stuart) Vice-President - Dwight Axelson (Montana Wrangler)
___________________________________ ________________________________
Range Master - Leroy Atchison (Prairie Dog) Treasurer - Judy Farris (Jeb's Lady)
___________________________________ ________________________________
Acting Secretary: Judy Farris (Jeb's Lady) Member-at-Large - William Doyle (Poverty Bill)
___________________________________
Sergeant-at-Arms: Gordon Joliffe (Rascal J)